Stockton Borough Council Commission Official Illustration for The Globe
I'm delighted to announce that I will have played a small part in adding to The Globe’s legacy, by creating an official illustration of The Globe for Stockon Borough Council.
What do The Rolling Stones, The Bee Gees, Roy Orbison, Morecambe & Wise, T-Rex and The Beatles all have in common? Answer: they all performed at The Globe, Stockon's legendary entertainment venue! And while I probably won't be gracing the stage there anytime soon, I'm delighted to announce that I will have played a small part in adding to its legacy, by creating an official illustration of The Globe for Stockon Borough Council.
The Globe is a stunningly unique venue on Stockton-on-Tees High Street steeped in a rich history of entertainment. It is currently being brought back to life by Stockton Borough Council.
Illustrating this beautiful grade 2 listed building was no small task, as The Globe is considered to be of National architectural importance, but I was determined to do it justice. I was lucky enough to get a hard hat tour of the building during the ongoing renovation, which gave me some insight into what a breathtaking space it was, and will be again, once it reopens in 2020.
My illustration features the Globe as it looked when it first opened in 1935. As the building has been through many visual changes since then, I needed to piece together a complete image of the venue by sifting through a modest archive of old photographs and architectural plans.
A highlight of the illustration is the swanky car parked outside, which would have belonged to the local butcher that set up shop on The Globe premises back in 1935, and was reportedly a big fan of flash cars! (It's amazing what you can learn from speaking to those in the Teeside community who still have fond memories of The Globe and its many characters).
“Working with Abby on her recent Stockton Globe graphic illustration commission was an absolute pleasure. She is a talented professional, listens to the requirements of the client and brings her creativity to the process. Abby understands the value of the artwork and demonstrated originality as well as in-depth knowledge of the sector. She is committed to achieving the best outcome and worked incredibly hard for us, within a tight timeframe.”
The illustration is currently available as an A3 art print (£8) and A6 postcard (£1), which can be purchased from Rediscover Stockton and Preston Park Museum. Postcards can also be picked up at the Hampton by Hilton. Further merchandise is likely to be developed in the future, so keep your eyes peeled!
All proceeds from the merchandise are going back into The Globe too. The money will go towards supporting The Globe community organisation, which will celebrate the building’s heritage into the future.
The Globe is set for a Grand reopening in 2020, soon to be the jewel in the crown of the Town Centre. I'll be celebrating by creating a second illustration of The Globe as it looks after the renovation is complete, making for a wonderful pair of past/present illustrations.
f you're interested in commissioning some original artwork that creates the perfect first impression, why not get in touch?
Green Dragon Yard Mural Restoration
A behind-the-scenes look at restoring Zac Newton’s much-loved Green Dragon Yard mural in Stockton-on-Tees, from reconstructing Saint George to adding fresh illustration, texture and clearer wayfinding.
The Green Dragon Yard is a beautiful courtyard of repurposed historic warehouses and Georgian alleyways in Stockton High Street. Considered the cultural quarter of Stockton, it houses the Green Dragon Studios, Green Dragon Pub and the newly renovated Georgian Theatre, see my illustration of The Georgian Theatre here.
One of the many features of the Green Dragon Yard that I have always enjoyed is the mural of Saint George the Dragon Slayer, by artist Zac Newton. Sadly, over the years this beautiful mural has fallen into disrepair, and in recent years the original artist passed away. The frame was coming away from the wall and sections of the mural were flaking away altogether.
The Original Mural
I was delighted when local initiative Stockton BID enlisted me as the official 'restoration artist' for the mural. Stockton BID is a partnership between local businesses and organisations with the ultimate aim to make a difference to the town centre, and the Green Dragon mural is a perfect example of a corner of Stockton that urgently needed some TLC!
The restoration was quite a challenge, as many areas of the mural had faded completely, but I had loads of fun playing 'forensic art analyst' and reconstructing the face of Saint George the Dragon Slayer and putting a bit of my soul into the restored mural. This was also an opportunity to better signpost the yard by including the text, Green Dragon Yard.
There was something strangely beautiful about the way the old mural had aged in places, and this gave me the idea of adding some new and interesting textures to the mural.
Working away on the restoration in my studio
Close-Up of the textured illustration
Jason Maxwell, manager at Stockton BID, had this to say about working with me on the project…
““We have worked with Abby on a project to update an old piece of art for our town centre. She is super talented and very creative. I would not hesitate to recommend her to others and cannot wait to work with her again….I absolutely love it, she has done an amazing job and I am really proud of what she has produced for us.””
Here's a short time lapse of the piece as it came together...
Trendsetters installing the new artwork
Do you know of any old murals that could do with being restored? Or perhaps there's a perfect spot in your town for a new mural to brighten up the place. If so, feel free to get in touch using the contact form.
Schoolchildren’s Winning Logo Made Into a Reality
Hartlepool Borough Council has had a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to breathe new life into the Church Street Conservation Area. They put out a competition out to schools and colleges for The Church Street Revival’s new identity, I got involved by making the winning Church Street Revival logo digital, which was designed by two school children, Connie Brydie and Isabelle Judson.
Hartlepool Borough Council has received £1.1million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver a three-year project to breathe new life into Church Street Conservation Area. The aim is to improve the quality of the built environment in the Conservation Area and raise awareness of the area’s rich heritage.
Thus, The Church Street Revival Project was born, they needed a logo and decided to put out a competition for local schools, colleges and the Dabble Art Group, they got over 300 entries. Connie Brydie and Isabelle Judson from West Park Primary School were the winners of the competition, with their vibrant circular logo using the Christ Church building as the focal image against a setting sun.
I got involved by working with Connie and Isabelle to develop the final design, which involved showing them how the logo was drawn up, important elements to think about when designing a logo, and allowing them to take ownership of their design by choosing the colour scheme and type layout.
The aim of the Church Street Revival Project, which is supported financially by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, is to improve the quality of the built environment in the Conservation Area and raise awareness of the area’s rich heritage.
To find out more about Hartlepool Revival and how you could get involved in the activities or volunteer hartlepool.gov.uk/churchstreetrevival
“Abby was brilliant at working with the Connie and Isabelle, the Church Street Revival logo competition winners from West Park Primary School. She was inspirational in her approach, clearly explaining how she had worked with their original drawing to develop options, from which they collectively chose a final digital logo image. ”
The Church Street Revival Team alongside myself, Connie and Isabelle
Connie and Isabelle choosing the logo colour scheme and typography position they liked best.
Tensile Strength (or How to Survive at Your Wit’s End) Tour Posters are Looking Sharp
Holly Gallagher approached me to create promotional materials including a bespoke illustration for her latest show Tensile Strength (or How to Survive at Your Wit’s End). Holly is a theatre-maker, director and facilitator who was keen to create a recognisable brand for herself and have promotional materials for her shows that will stand out from the crowd.
Between October 2018 and September 2019, Holly Gallagher is touring her latest show Tensile Strength (or How to Survive at Your Wit’s End). Holly is a theatre-maker, director and facilitator who was keen to create a recognisable brand for herself and have promotional materials for her shows that will stand out from the crowd. The goal was to create bold promotional items, but also set a distinct style, colour palette, font choices etc. so Holly’s future shows can follow suit.
The show was produced and commissioned by ARC Stockton, and funded by Arts Council England, and supported as part of the Third Angel Mentoring Scheme 2017 in association with Sheffield Theatres.
Tensile Strength (or How to Survive at Your Wit’s End) tells the story of three different characters all experiencing stress. The stage is full of buckets which act as a metaphor for stress, at one point in the show, the audience is asked: Imagine you have a bucket; and all the things you have to cope with in life as water going into that bucket. Raise your hand if your bucket is A) Empty B) Half full C) Overflowing.
After discussing the show over a hot drink with Holly, we decided an illustration involving an overflowing bucket would be perfect for the promotional materials. I included the show description ‘A Show About: Stress, fear, pressure ,sadness, mental health, when things are all a Bit Too Much and then the cat goes missing’ within the bucket which is spiralling into an abyss, much like how it feels when you get so stressed you can’t think straight. Holly also received brand guidelines which give her the colours, fonts etc. she needs to continue using her brand online.
“I have been a fan of Abby’s work for some time now, and have always particularly loved the boldness, detail, and colours used in her work. So when I needed a designer to work on my new show’s poster it was a no-brainer for me to approach Abby.
The process of working with Abby has been a real pleasure! This was my first time using a graphic designer to create content for a show, as well as the largest tour for a piece of work I had put together. So my timeframes, deadlines, and expectations were continually changing. Abby was understanding and flexible with every change that happened, and has been more than generous with her time and dedication to the project.
The final design Abby created is a beautiful piece of artwork and has really done an effective job in advertising the show with countless people complimenting its posters, flyers, and social media images! I’m beyond happy with the professional finish Abby has gifted my show with and am so pleased to have a proper brand design for my future work now too.
I would recommend anyone to Abby for graphic design work if they want a high quality, fast, flexible, and personable experience!”
Holly Gallagher’s stage set up for Tensile Strength (or How to Survive at your Wit’s End). Photo by Davey Poremba
Press Release: Couple's Artwork Selling Itself - Designs now being used on mugs, tote bags and more
‘HARTLEPOOL railway station’s acclaimed artwork is now featured in a wide range of merchandise…’
Photo by Michael Grant of www.rainbowphoto.co.uk
‘HARTLEPOOL railway station’s acclaimed artwork is now featured in a wide range of merchandise.
Illustrator Abby Taylor created the 12 giant, vintage pictures with her partner Owen Smith last year.
Now council chiefs have secured funding to produce tote bags, tea towels, mugs and other items which are available at Hartlepool Art Gallery.
Abby said: “This was the start of my freelance career as the project got good traction and was the ideal springboard for me. It still feels so surreal to see the artwork we created on merchandise. We spent a long time working on them after our 9-5 jobs in the makeshift room while working on the dining table and a small desk on wheels till late.”
Abby and Owen graduated from Cleveland College of Art and Design/Northern School of Art in 2015. Abby worked as a graphic designer for two years whilst Owen became the Director at LemonTop Creative.
She continued: “I love hearing people say they bought something and how much the location means to them and how much they like the artwork. It never gets old and makes me smile every time. The artwork evokes memories for a lot of people and I love that so much. I think the items are beautiful and the quality is so nice, the pillows are faux velvet and the totes fully lined too.”
Selection of Hartlepool Merchandise. Photos by Michael Grant of www.rainbowphoto.co.uk
The artist is currently working on artwork in the vintage-style of locations in Newcastle in collaboration with For the Love of The North, which have two shops and an online store. She is also working on a handful of start-up businesses, including a dairy-free milkshake company. The Hartlepool artwork is on sale now at Hartlepool Art Gallery.’
- Article by journalist, Amie Slack of Hartlepool Life.
Further Reading:
Check out my latest blog post One Year On - New Products and Hartlepool Council Catch Up
My Experience at Ladies, Wine & Design
Ladies Wine & Design started in New York and is now a worldwide concept. Only a tiny percent of creative directors are women, these events help offer mentorship and widen our networks.
Ladies Wine & Design is a concept which was set up by famous graphic designer, Jessica Walsh. She recognised there was an unbalance in the creative industry, as only a tiny percent of creative directors are women. The event started in New York and is now a worldwide concept and has spread to 130 countries and is still growing. These free events help offer mentorship and widen our networks. I personally heard about it on Instagram in May 2017, as the event was new to my nearest city, Newcastle, and had recently been set up by the amazing graphic designer, Juli Vignette. When I saw the Ladies, Wine & Design website I loved their ethos and sense of community, so I applied for a place at the Newcastle event right away. The meetings are monthly and are limited to a small group of six creative ladies.
I was open-minded at first, as I had been to networking events before, even a ladies-only one. In my experience, it tended to consist of groups that had been coming for years, so they would gravitate to the people they already knew, and it was normally such a random bunch of people, it was hard to understand the purpose of the event.
At the beginning of May last year, I had just left my in-house graphic designer role. I had recently finished the fantastic, large-scale project for Hartlepool Council with my partner, Owen. It consisted of 12 large vintage style travel posters on display at Hartlepool railway station. This was the springboard I needed into self-employment, as it gained a lot of media attention. I had current clients I was working with, but didn't have a proper website yet, as everything was happening so fast, although I had always freelanced, even while in education. I was feeling a little unsure at that point and was considering all options, including maybe working in a creative studio.
The first meet up was Chit Chat, which was just an open discussion for the group, this was a great introduction, and exactly what I needed. I got there a little too early, and Juli was so welcoming and I got a good vibe off her - she had even created handwritten name badges for everyone. The group was a mix of self-employed ladies, who either have a small team under their employ, work alone as a freelancer, or are themselves employed. A lot of them had worked in creative studios before, so it was really interesting to get their perspective and hear their input, especially when making the switch to self-employment. There was an air of honesty, and everyone seemed comfortable. With the casual chatting, wine and delicious cheese and crackers, it was a really enjoyable and informal experience. I got the train home feeling so positive.
The next meeting I went to was five months later, which was Portfolio Reviews with successful freelancer Mandy Barker, of Sail Creative and Fionn Andrews of Craft Agency (a creative and digital recruitment company). Also, yes, my full name is indeed Abigail.
I have always thought it is important to take criticism and be open to people's suggestions, and what better people to take suggestions from than a successful freelancer, someone I aspire to be like, and someone who recruits people like me all the time, and has seen many portfolios. I had my portfolio reviewed by Mandy and got to see other people's portfolios too. I got some great feedback on my work and realised how diverse the work in my portfolio was too, I received small but useful suggestions on the way I presented the work in my portfolio, which I took on board.
The last event I went to was Branding Yourself, I went with the intention of showing my website and getting the group's input on my brand. I had been torn whether to brand myself as my name or as a company name for a while. As you can see, I opted for my own name and decided to really embrace the fact that when you work with me, you are getting something that has been designed by a trained individual with a focused vision for your project, rather than something designed by a committee. I decided to use the bold URL iamabbytaylor.com to drive this home.
The special guest for this event was Sarah Tempest from Altogether Creative. It was fascinating seeing her presentation on how they came up with the brand name and image. it's often a side you don't see, all the unused logos and ideas they didn't run with, it was a unique experience.
Ladies, Wine & Design has been a really useful support network and has had a hand in my huge progress in my first year of self-employment, and have been there to give me a boost at more difficult times. Self-employment is a solitary endeavour and it's healthy and useful to find others in the same boat. Going it alone doesn't mean you have to go it alone! Through the friends and business relationships I have built through Ladies Wine & Design, I've been able to find a useful support network at an important developmental stage in my career. If you're interested in joining, check out their website and see where your nearest event is held and follow them on social media to stay up to date.
From these events, and speaking to other creative women over the last year, it really pulled away a facade for me. In my previous jobs, I have seen lots of amazing females in leadership positions, kicking arse at their jobs and being supportive of others. I thought there were minimal changes to be made for women in the workplace, apart from the obvious gender pay gap and some sexist job requirements/uniforms/remarks etc. in other companies.
It's important to remember, just because you haven't seen or experienced a particular type of inequality yourself, doesn't mean it's a myth. In the last year, I have spoken to women who had been asked if they plan to have children at interview, who had been denied going further up the career ladder because they recently got married and 'will be having kids soon'. I've also spoken to women who have never received remarks like that directly, but were prevented from being on the same wage as their male peers in the same job role.
Talking to other female creatives has really opened my eyes and made me realise how important events where women support each other are. You can always tell who the strong women are anyway, they're the type of women that would go to an event like this, and they choose to build each other up instead of tearing each other down.
“We rise by lifting others.”